UPDATED: DoC cutting 100 jobs

Forest & Bird has slammed the cuts, accusing the government of ignoring the environment as it expands the department promoting mining for oil, gas and minerals.

DOC, which manages New Zealand's conservation estate, today said it would shed just over 100 of its 1800 staff as it re-organised its work to "better direct resources to its conservation work in the field".

The job losses, which would happen by the end of they year, would come from largely office-based support functions in its Wellington headquarters and from regional conservancy offices.

Forest & Bird responded by saying New Zealand could not afford to lose such jobs, a decision which showed a failure to recognise the country's environment was the key to economic recovery.

Conservation advocate Nicola Vallance said today's announcement contrasted with the Government's decision to nearly double the number of people in the Ministry of Economic Development unit aimed at expanding the oil and minerals industries.

New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals, which replaced Crown Minerals, said in April it expected its staff would increase from 40 to 70 as it became more commercially-focused.

Ms Vallance said New Zealanders showed they loved conservation land and wanted to protect it last year during protests over a government proposal to open up conservation land to mining.

Some of the DOC job losses were expected to be people with strong scientific and technical experience who knew what would be lost if mining or other destructive developments were to take place on conservation land.

"These skills are vital to ensure our wild beautiful wild places are protected and well managed.

"Good decision-making about the future of our conservation land -- a third of New Zealand's land mass -- is crucial to ensuring New Zealand maintains the clean green brand that underpins our key tourism and agricultural industries.

"These skills and experience are also crucial to saving the endangered species and landscapes that we love and that define New Zealand. DOC cannot afford to lose its core conservation expertise."

Ms Vallance said the country was at a crossroads in trying to secure its long-term future must invest more to protect the natural assets that defined it.

The Public Service Association (PSA), which represented more than 1500 of DOC staff, said the axings would undermine its effectiveness in protecting the natural environment and heritage.

There had already been significant job losses at the national office and conservancies after $54 million over four years was slashed from DOC's budget in 2009, said PSA national secretary Brenda Pilott.

The latest cuts would undermine the work done then to plough resources into frontline conservation, she said.

After cutting over a billion dollars across public services from this year's budget the Government had turned DOC's efficiency drive into a purely cost driven exercise, Ms Pilott said.

"New Zealanders want their land, waters and species protected and entrust DOC with this vital task. Eroding the department’s resources will impact its ability to meet this huge responsibility."